Index



Dec. 31, 1929. R. c. RUSSELL ET AL INDEX Filed Nov. 3. 1927 Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT C. RUSSELL AND JOSEPH CLIFFORD RUSSELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA INDEX Application filed. November 3, 1927. SeriaI No. 230,852.

This invention relates to improvements in filing devices and partlcularly to such as are adapted for use as card 1ndexes and espec1ally to those of the visible type,one object of j the invention being to provide a simple structure of the type specified, in which cards of considerable length may be carried by individual card supports in such manner that the body portions of the cards shall be norin mally concealed, but their upper or head portions exposed tOVlGW, and in which any card may be readily removed from its support, or any support as well as the card may be separately removed and replaced, provision being 1 made to prevent accidental displacement of a card relatively to its support.

' A further object is to so construct a device of the character above outlined, that the cards will serve to look their supports against removal from the rack or holder which carries them, but a card support may be removed from the rack or holder after the card shall have been removed from its support.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are face views of a visible index showing an embodiment of our invention;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional View;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the rack or holder;

Figures 5 and 6 are separate views of one of the card supports Figure 7 is a separate view of one of the cards.

Figure 8 is a view of one of the slides or locking members.

A tray or support is indicated at 1 and may be made of metal or any other suitable material. In the drawings, I have shown a 5 metal tray, one side edge portion of which is bent to overlie the side portion of thebottom of the tray and form a guideway 2, into which one end of each of a series of card supports 3 projects. At or near the opposite side edge portion of the tray, guides 4, 5 are located or ribs extending along the sideportion of the tray or holder, said side portion overhanging the bottom or back of the tray but being spaced therefrom a distance less than 'the thickness of the card support so that the card support may abut said overhanging side portion but cannot pass thereunder while the inner edge flanges of the slides will rest against the outer faces of the supports. In this manner, the card supports are retained in locked relation to the tray but any one of them may be removed by moving the slides in a manner to expose the end of the card support to be removed. To facilitate such movement of the slides, a member 8 at one end of the series of slides is hinged to the adjacent slide so that it may be raised to afford the necessary space to permit such movement of the slides or some of them as will permit one of the card supports to be released. The hinged member 8 is not intended to slide on the guides 4, 5, and a suitable latch 9 is provided for said member to normally retainit in position. The particular form of the latch is immaterial and it may conveniently be a resilient plate secured to the tray and projecting past'the end of the member 8, the face of the plate being formed with a shoulder overhanging and abutting the front face of said hinged member. stop 10 is provided at the upper portion of the tray to be engaged by the upper slide of the series, and each slide or looking member 7 may be provided with a hole 11 or other means to facilitate manipulation of the same. A plate 12 extends across the lower portion of the tray but is spaced from the surface of the latter to provide a pocket 13 into which the lower cards of a series of cards or index elements 14, carried by the supports 3, project.

Each card support may consist of a thin strip of metal or other suitable material and in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, each card support is provided with an elongated slot 15 of a length approximately equal to the width of the body portion of one of the cards 14:. Each card 14 may be provided with a head portion 16 made somewhat wider than the body portion of the card whereby shoulders 17 are formed and these shoulders project beyond the ends of the slot 15 and rest against the support when the body of the card is inserted through the slot.

Each card support 3 is provided at the up per edge of the slot or opening 15 with cardengaging means 18 which, in the present instance, may consist of a plurality of lugs and the cards are provided with slots 19 to receive said lugs. In order to provide suflicient space between the card supports and the tray, for the accommodation of the body portions of underlying cards, the card supports may be provided with thickened end portions 20. The thickened end portions also serve to prevent one support 3 from sliding past another,said supports being mounted in superimposed relation so that they may abut one against another. V] hen a card is passed through the slot 15 in a support 3, and made to assume the position shown in the drawing, the upper or head portion of the card will project slightly in a forward direction so that it may be readily grasped to facilitate removal and its lower end will rest upon the surface of the tray. The resilience of the card will cause it to engage the lugs 18 and maintain such engagement, and, as the upper or head portion of the card projects forwardly, the lugs 18 may be so disposed as to be approximately at right angles to such forwardly projecting portion. The lugs 18 provide supporting means for the card and they also operate normally to prevent accidental upward movement of said card.

Each card or index element is normally sustained by its engagement with the lugs 18, the shoulders 17 being normally disposed in a plane above that of the lower edge of the slot 15, but should the card become disengaged from the lugs its downward movement would be limited by said shoulders and the card would still be attached to the support.

It will be observed that the upper end portion of each card will be in front of the upper portion of the corresponding card support and the remaining portion of the card behind the lower portion of the same support, and that the body portion of each card will be disposed between. adjacent cards and card supports and the surface of the tray. The cards will, therefore, be so arranged as to increase the frictional resistance of the supports to movement in the tray, but provision is made by the slides 7 to further lock the card supports and permit their removal, as previously explained Having fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a holder, a plurality of card support members movably and removably mounted on said holder, and cards carried by said support members and cooperable with the holder and the support members normally to frictionally hold said support members against removal from the holder.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a holder, of card sup ports removably connected with said holder, each of said card supports having an opening, a card having its upper portion passing through the opening of each card support, and engaging means at one edge of the opening in the card support and removably interlocking with said card.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a holder, of card supports removably connected with said holder, each of said card supports having an opening, a card having a part passing through the opening of each card support and having shoulders at its ends projecting beyond the respective ends of said opening, and means connecting each card with each support at the upper edge of the opening in the latter.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a holder, of a plurality of slotted card support members, card's removably carried by said support members, and means on the support members and en-' gaging the cards to attach the latter to the support members and operable to prevent accidental upward movement of the cards relatively to their support members.

5. In a visible index, the combination with a holder, of a plurality of card support members removably connected therewith and each having a slot, cards passing through said support members and having head and body portions, the head portions of the cards having openings, and forward projections on the support members entering the openings in the head portions of the cards.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a holder, of a plurality of card supports mounted thereon and having parallel abutting edges, each of said supports having an elongated opening, engaging means at one edge of the opening of each support and disposed at an angle to the faces of said supports, and cards having upper resilient portions passing through said elongated openings in the supports, the upper edge portions of said cards projecting forwardly and operatively engaging'said engaging means whereby the cards are removably attached to said supports.

7. In a: device of the character described, the combination with a holder, of a plurality of card supports, means for removably connecting said supports with the holder, cards having their lower portions held to the holder by the respective supports and their upper portions engaged with the front faces of the supports, and means whereby the body portion of each support is spaced from the holder for the accommodation of underlying cards.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a holder, of a plurality of card supports, means for removably connecting said supports with the holder, attaching means on each support for removably connecting a card therewith, each support having thickened ends whereby the body portion of each support is spaced from the tray for the accommodation of underlying cards.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a holder, card-supporting members removably mounted thereon, and locking means for said members, said locking means comprising a plurality of slides mounted on the holder and normally overlying portions of said members and movable longitudinally of the holder to release any of said members.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a holder, card supports removably mounted thereon, and locking means for said card supports, said locking means comprising a plurality of slides normally overlying portions of said card supports and movable to release any of said card supports.

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of a holder, members removably mounted thereon, locking means for said members, said locking means comprising a plurality of slides normally overlying portions of said members and relatively movable to release any of said members, and means for normally preventing their relative movement.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of a holder, members removably mounted thereon, locking means for said members, said locking means comprising a plurality of slides normally overlying portions of said members and relatively movable to release any of said members, and a locking member mounted on holder and locking said slides against relative movement.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this specification.

ROBERT C. RUSSELL. JOSEPH CLIFFORD RUSSELL. 

